Page:Beside the Fire - Douglas Hyde.djvu/166

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was once a boy in the County Mayo, and he never washed a foot from the day he was born. Guleesh was his name; but as nobody could ever prevail on him to wash his feet, they used to call him Guleesh na guss dhu, or Guleesh Black-foot. It's often the father said to him: "Get up, you strone-sha (lubber), and wash yourself," but the devil a foot would he get up, and the devil a foot would he wash. There was no use in talking to him. Every one used to be humbugging him on account of his dirty feet, but he paid them no heed nor attention. You might say anything at all to him, but in spite of it all he would have his own way afterwards.

One night the whole family were gathered in by the fire, telling stories and making fun for themselves, and he amongst them. The father said to him: "Guleesh, you are one and twenty years old to-night, and I believe you never washed a foot from the day you were born till to-day."

"You lie," said Guleesh, "didn't I go a'swimming on May day last? and I couldn't keep my feet out of the water."

"Well, they were as dirty as ever they were when you came to the shore," said the father.

"They were that, surely," said Guleesh.

"That's the thing I'm saying," says the father, "that it wasn't in you to wash your feet ever."

"And I never will wash them till the day of my death," said Guleesh.

"You miserable behoonugh! you clown! you tinker! you good-for-nothing lubber! what kind of answer is that?" says the father; and with that he drew the hand